Around The World

Then, back down at base level, I cycled around the historic downtown area, looking at the 18th century brick buildings and lifesize statues of national heroes of the time, all so lovingly maintained. Walk down the pedestrian-only Mall, visit interesting boutiques and a myriad of coffee shops.

A mile away is the unique University, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. Many of the original buildings are still in use, and even the splendid later constructions are in the local brick and white-paint style. (This is a rich university, thanks to its alumni and also the many wealthy individuals who relocate to the Charlottesville area for its much-admired lifestyle.) There are splendid teaching hospitals, and the arts faculty means there is a wealth of drama and other culture always on offer. Charlottesville, both city and academia, attracts writers of the caliber, for instance, of novelist John Grisham and Helena Cobban, author, inter alia, of The Moral Architecture of World Peace - Nobel Laureates Discuss Our Global Future: see her blog, www.justworldnews.org.

First-timers will undoubtedly head 15 minutes' drive south-east of Charlottesville to Monticello, Jefferson's Roman neoclassic home which he designed and built 1768-1782. You also have the Piedmont hills around, and several vineyards to visit. At King Family Vineyards, in nearby Crozet, there is polo on Summer Sundays. www.kingfamilyvineyards.com